How do you choose the best microSD card for Android phones, dashcams or drones? There are so many options, like A1, high endurance, and UHS-I Speed Grade 3, which can seem overwhelming. We will help you choose the right type.
Form factors for SD cards
Secure Digital, or SD, cards come in two main form factors - SD and microSD. MiniSD ceased to exist in 2008. In a quest to get more compact, most devices use microSDs but a lot of microSDs come with a full-sized SD adapter just in case you need to go back and forth between the two formats. We’ll use the term microSD to refer to both microSDHC and microSDXC. MicroSDs can hold up to 1TBs of storage now, but there are times when bigger is not always better. If you lose it, break it, or the dog eats it, you might not be so happy with that option. Also, you’ll be paying a higher price to keep it all on one card. Kingston makes cards up to a 512GB capacity, which is still way more than I usually need for 99% of situations.
microSD for Android phones
One of the best parts about owning an Android phone is that they have expandable storage. Just pop in a microSD and we’re good to go! But what kind is best? Look for a little A1 or A2 marking on the card and you’ll be set. This stands for App Performance Class 1 & 2, meaning the card is fast enough to be used on a mobile phone by apps in addition to media storage. Kingston’s Canvas React microSD card makes use of this A1 classification and is available from 32GB up to 512GB, but your phone may not support larger capacity cards, so be aware of that.
microSD cards for dashcams
For Dashcam users, you’ll want something that can record repeatedly with little to no issue such as a High Endurance card. As video files are overwritten, the memory card wears down bit by bit. Certain cards are more durable and are built to work in these specific circumstances. Kingston has a High Endurance microSD, part number SDCE, that can record 3 times that of a normal microSD. Make sure you look for a card specifically rated for endurance and bonus points if it comes with a warranty, just in case.
microSD cards for drones
For drones there is not yet a standard, so we’ll have to dig a bit deeper. Obviously different drones will require different minimums, but as an example, DJI asks for “up to 128 GB and R/W speed up to UHS-I Speed Grade 3” on their latest models. UHS refers to one of three Ultra High-Speed classifications in addition to the Speed Grade of three. This sounds like a lot of requirements, however, Kingston’s Canvas Go and Canvas React cards meet these criteria. Just look for the little IU with the number 3 in the U on the card.
So that’s SD cards in a nutshell for Android, dashcams, and drones. What other use cases would you like to break down SD cards for? Let us know in the comments and maybe we’ll make a future episode just for you.
